Prince Fielder certainly hit ‘em a long way, but did he hit enough?
The Tigers first baseman hit five home runs in the first round of the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday in Kansas City, two of which were the longest of the night to that point, putting him in fourth place with two batters still to go.
The top four advance to the second round.
Fielder took the first three pitches and grounded out on his first swing. Fielder’s first bomb went deep to right at 426 feet. His next long ball barely cleared the fence, but Fielder more than made up for it on his next swing, hitting the longest home run of the night to that point and the first into the fountain 454 feet to right-centerfield.
Fielder’s next home run again went into the water at 425 feet. His fifth and final home run, with nine outs, splashed down again at 448 feet and was the second longest of the night. We’ll see if he advances to the second round.
Prior to Fielder’s outing, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen got on the board with a 435-foot bomb after recording two outs to start. On the whole, it was not a standout night for McCutchen, who was tied for fourth in the NL with 18 home runs, as he could only muster three more, two of them with nine outs, to finish with four.
Join the Conversation
The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it.